Journal of a Farmer, Parttime Adventurer
by Dracorum
Summary: -Complete?- What happens in the ordinary days between the 'epic' adventures? Nothing much. Or so you'd think.
1. Journal of a Farmer, Parttime Adventurer

Disclaimer: Legend of Mana and its wonderful cast and world is not mine.

A/N: This is a bit of experimenting I'm doing, so I'll very much appreciate feedback. Also, if anyone has the correct order of days, please tell me!

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**Journal of a Farmer, Part-time Adventurer**

_Days in order: Salamander, Gnome, Jinn, Undine, Wisp, Shade, Dryad, Aura_

Salamander Day

Just got this notebook today from Niccolo as payment for one of his jobs: escorting him to Gato and back. I don't know whether writing in this will really bring me good fortune, but what's there to lose? At least this journal-keeping will be a much more effective use of my time than trying to find a way to use those leaky pots he gave me.

Lil' Cactus might get mad at me though. What's the point of having two diaries?

Dryad Day

Market day in Domina today. Nothing worth noting, except that Rachel's been gloomier than usual. Wonder what's bothering her? I'll drop by to ask when I finish the harvest tomorrow.

Aura Day

I swear, one of these days I'll really lose my temper. What's his problem? Shouting at poor Rachel like that, no wonder she was scared witless. I'm off with the short-tempered fellow tomorrow though, to look for his 'friend'. I hope this won't be a waste of my time. Those cherry bombs could be a fatal problem for Trent if I left them hanging too long.

Undine Day

The last three days had just been one thing after another. It's a Goddess-sent miracle the homestead wasn't decimated in the mean time. Those cherry bombs could have set the whole place aflame if they had just fallen on their stems instead of not.

Where to start? Found the lost 'friend'. Turned out the two of them were Jumi, the near-extinct people out of my yellowed history books. They were alive and breathing and standing on the same earth as me, and I never noticed till Pearl came out of hiding and their mutual cores became obvious. I felt everything at once: shock, excitement, wonder. All those entries in spidery writings on frail pages were nothing like actually SEEING them, and realizing the ages that must have passed in front of their eyes. How long have those two lived, to have acquired such sorrows in their gaze? My curiosity was wringing my neck. But no, there was no time to put words to them before Elazul whisked Pearl away. I hope I get to see them again. So many things I want to ask!

Amalette caught me as I was turning into the path for home, quite beside herself with the jitters. A pumpkin takeover on the outskirts of Domina? I had to see, if only to find out the type of pumpkin it was. The pumpkins' size were impressive when I got there, I have to admit, but taking over the world with them? A little far-fetched.

Now I've gone and gave myself two new headaches named Bud and Lisa. How am I going to feed them? The crop this week is overriped already, I can't sell them, and market day is two days away…

I'll just sleep on it for tonight. I can't think anymore.

Wisp Day

A busy day. Spent most of it familiarizing the twins to the homestead and finding things for their room. They came here all the way from Geo with nothing more than a few clothes and a small pack! I have to hand it to them. Still haven't talk all that much about their circumstances yet, but I'll wait. Everybody have things they don't want to talk about…

Bud is very much typical for a boy his age, enjoying teasing his sister and playing pranks. The frying pan he carries around doesn't make him a good cook to my dismay. He cooks up a lot of trouble instead. (Need to remind him to not experiment on spells in the barns.) His biggest ambition is to be a great sorcerer, but he still hasn't told me why, just a lot on the awesomeness of his spells. The pumpkins were his bright idea. I wonder if he'll give me a hand with Trent sometime. Maybe I shouldn't ask…don't want evil produce growing on Trent's branches.

Come to think of it, he has an unexpected soft spot for the monsters in the corrals. He would have played there all day if I hadn't told him to come in for dinner. Seems like a good plan to handover the chores there to him. Have to keep an eye on him not to spoil them too much though. Oh, and can't forget about that scorch mark on the wall. I'll get him to clean it up tomorrow.

Lisa is the cooler head of the two, but frankly I have no idea what girls her age need or think about. I can sympathize with some of her concerns, mainly the isolation of this place from other dwellings and Domina, the inconvenience it can be, but some things I have no idea how I can help with. What is it about girls and their need for society? I suppose I'll just need to find her things to do. She seemed happy enough in the study today, and did chores around the house with her trusty broom without much prodding.

Things go along at a different pace here, with the farms and fields of Domina surrounding us. Life must have been an exciting cauldron in Geo. I hope they come to like it here eventually.

Got this week's expenses sorted. The rabite hatched and Jennifer will take it off my hands into a good home tomorrow. Bud was sad to see it go, having been there when it hatched, but cheered up when I promised to bring him a dragon egg. Me and my big mouth…

Dryad Day

Took the twins into town today to introduce to everyone. It seemed the people had mostly forgiven them for their pumpkin patch takeover. Duelle and Teapo were persuaded to go with them into the market as I sat down to discuss business with Jennifer. They came back with bags and cheeks bulging with sweets. Glazed peach puppies tasted a lot better when shared between friends and a cup of Teapo's tea.

Gnome Day

The last two days fell into a kind of routine. Bud took like a fish to water to the chores in the corrals, even the dirtiest jobs didn't fazed him. I was pleasantly surprised to find the feed box and water troughs all cleaned and filled, feed stacked according to types, and sweet hay on the dirt floor. Even the grazing field was straightened. Seeing him worked so hard at brushing down the chocobo gave me a stronger resolve to get him that dragon egg as soon as I can.

Lisa got up every morning to make me a cup of hot drink before I headed out to the orchards. And from what I've noticed, she's been at my much neglected study, dusting, sorting, and what not. Thankfully she's a better cook than Bud, even though sometimes I was afraid to ask what she put into the pot. She brought us lunch outside yesterday and we had a great time picnicking among the trees and listening to Trent's stories.

They call themselves my apprentices, but I wonder what I can teach them. I'll need to uncover the magic tomes from their burial under the mound in the study. Or are they under the bed?

I could get used to these two. They…filled holes I hadn't even noticed I had before they came.

Still, I wonder what happened to their parents…


	2. Of Troubles, Rumors, and Pirates

A/N: Went back and cringed at my grammar in the last chapter. Hopefully it'll make smoother reading now. English isn't my first language! (I'll keep saying that.)

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**Of Troubles, Rumors, and Pirates**

_Days in order: Salamander, Gnome, Jinn, Undine, Wisp, Shade, Dryad, Aura_

Undine Day

Exactly a week has passed since the twins came into my life. In all this short time we've tested out a year's worth of each other's patience, crossed every line that shouldn't have been crossed, and actually emerged relatively whole at the end of the upheaval.

Bud's care of the beasts and the corral remains as perfect as the first days. However, he's wont to do as he pleased elsewhere. The kitchen after the Bud effect sports mysterious splashes and patterns on the floor and walls, the dining table and fireplace grow colorful mushrooms or molds, the attic bedroom the children share systematically cover with papers and drawings of all sorts.

Lisa is quite vocal on her likes and dislikes. On a good day I can expect the screaming to start at around mid-morning, on other days around the time she wakes up to find one of the following assorted choices: bug, lizard, or frog, in bed with her. I put a stop to the morning surprises with the reason that soon it will not be just the lives of the critters that were in danger but the life of the instigator as well. Judging by the murderous expression on Lisa's face as she chopped vegetables and the distinct print of a broom on Bud's buttock this morning, I think I'll be able to sleep in a little bit from now on.

What to do with them? I wonder if from now on I will always leave home with the dread of coming back to find it sitting on its side. They're good kids, bright and cheerful and hardworking…but also very trying at the same time.

I've been teasing out more information about their circumstances from Lisa, but nothing to show for it so far. That girl's so good at dodging, most of the time I found her gone the moment the thought crossed my mind.

Well, we'll jump that bridge when we come to it.

Wisp Day

Lisa's still ignoring my questions…I guess I should quit while I'm ahead.

Shade Day

Today was supposed to be a day for quiet reflections on the Goddess' grace at home but I've been out running about since dawn.

Lisa's gone missing.

Bud doesn't show his worry much, but then again he's almost biting his thumb off with his nails. Tomorrow we're heading off to the Junkyard. No time to be thinking about market day or weekly expenses.

Now to comfort Lil' Cactus and put Bud to bed.

Aura Day

Thank Goddess nothing too serious happened to Lisa other than a few bruises and scratches. Bud fixed their father's broom up pretty well, and Lisa smiled whole-heartedly for the first time since we've started living together. I'm glad…

Sometimes I amaze myself. What's a farmer afflicted with wanderlust doing, taking on two young charges? But the house seemed empty without Lisa's shouting, and my day didn't feel the same without her morning pick-me-up. Bud being quiet and serious was even more unnerving.

I'll keep that to myself though, can't give them too much encouragement.

Salamander Day

Went through the household account today. I think we'll be good till next week's market, plus there's a tidy bit from the farmwives that stopped by to coo over Lisa in the afternoon. They bought a bunch of the produce off my hands by Lisa's persuasions. Need to remember to bring her with me to every market day. There's some profit to be gained from her skills!

On another note, it's nice to see the twins already being treated as part of the community. It's pretty difficult for the people of Domina to welcome strangers, being a small settlement and all that, so this is a good sign. I suppose my moving in several years ago thawed them somewhat too.

More good news: Watts finally stopped by to fix my forge. Now I can finally do something to my battered piece of scrap iron that most mistake for a sword!

Gnome Day

I think the farmwives around here are developing the habit of stopping by for afternoon tea. I could hear the din even over the clang of my hammer in the workshops. I guess I shouldn't have worried about Lisa's social needs. Bud ran into the forge as I was putting the finishing touches on the hilt. He needed to getaway, poor kid. I told him to grit and bear it, but he said even I was hiding back here, so why can't he. Was I that obvious? It must have shown though, since Bud added that I should put a lid on my face if I want to hide something. Lip from a child ten and more years younger than me…what's the world coming to?

Jinn Day

My prediction came true. They really are stopping by everyday now. But as a result Lisa's cooking is improving by leaps and bounds. I suppose I don't mind losing a few of my tea hoards if I can gain some peace from stomach troubles.

Lisa brought up an interesting rumor at dinner. Seems a bunch of pirates have been spotted skulking around Lake Kilma. That's one bizarre place for pirates to show up. The lake's landlocked. True, it's fed with water running down from somewhere up in the Norn Peaks and transformed into a wide, but shallow, stream running southeast into the spread of the White Forest later on, but that's about all. There's nowhere for a pirate to land his ship and Polpota is many days away through rough country from that area. Curious…

Bud was eyeing me all through Lisa's story. I'll bet my hat he wants to tag along. But I have to put my foot down on this one. I don't want to leave Lisa alone so soon after her trial.

It'll take a day to reach the forests near the lake and another day to scout around for the pirates. I hope they're easy to find. I don't want to miss a second market day in a row. We'll really be in trouble then.


	3. Of Fairies, Flowers, and Fertilizer

A/N: I'm turning these out faster than I thought...

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**Of Fairies, Flowers, and Fertilizer**

_Days in order: Salamander, Gnome, Jinn, Undine, Wisp, Shade, Dryad, Aura_

Shade Day

There really were pirates at the lake! For them to come all this way inland on a hunt for treasure...how typical. I joined the expedition since it seemed lucrative, but unfortunately we didn't find anything and ended up in a real fix instead. Jumping off a cliff and seeing penguins turned into stone aren't my idea of fun. Those fairies were more trouble than I've encountered in awhile too, fancy calling that Gorgon's Eye "master of the lake"! According to Tote their hatred of humans run deep and goes back earlier than the earliest records.

I think something will have to be done to curb their enmity before things really go out of hand and more "masters" crop up all over, but I have no idea where to start with this ancient feud! People don't get along just because some outsider tells them to, and I can't be around everywhere bopping the called monsters on the head either.

I've a bad feeling in my gut about all the amassing negativity. You can sense the heat of it from their gazes. There can only be disaster at the end of that road.

At any rate, I'm finally able to attend tomorrow's market day. I'll stop by the pub and root around for more rumors on the way back.

Dryad Day

Niccolo stopped by as I was minding my stall. Another business proposal. How come I never learned? I got roped into helping him again somehow.

We're heading to the Mindas Ruins tomorrow. I'll have to prepare for a long trip this time. Going through the Jungle is never easy, what with those tomato men and undead popping up all over. Just the thought gives me the shivers.

Shade Day

Goddess, am I tired! I will _never_, ever go with Niccolo on one of his trips again, I swear.

The Jungle was a sweltering mess of insects and zombines, but apart from that it wasn't as difficult a trip as I thought. We met a penguin named Selkie who casted something on us and suddenly we could see pathways in the overgrowth! I need to mention that it was a strange sight indeed, penguins in the Jungle, but meeting Rosiotti, one of the heroes from the time of the War, was even stranger. Well…maybe 'strange' isn't the right word. For some reason I couldn't quite reconcile the Rosiotti I saw with the one told of in the books. 'Awestruck'? 'Flabbergasted'? Anyway, it was incredible to be in his presence.

A bunch of shady people from Geo tramped passed us after we bid the penguins and Rosiotti good-bye, and asked us if we saw a du'cate. They were searching for one. A du'cate that can grow up to ten feet, weigh three tons, and can smash your head into a pulp with one fist. An expedition doomed to failure if I ever saw one. Even Niccolo wasn't tempted by the lucre reward. We left them to their fates.

Later on we chanced on this one guy from Gato, I think Escad was his name. Elazul might have grated my nerves on the first meeting but this one positively shot it full of arrows. I'm disinclined to believe that his surly behavior was caused by the heat. And he was killing fairies. He might have saved the nun, but it was still a gruesome sight. Wisps of translucent wings parted by a single swipe of the huge sword, small screams piercing to the ears, and not even a drop of blood on the ground…

I tried to talk with him, but he stalked away into the darker parts of the Jungle without a single glance back. No, I don't think I like this guy much.

In a nutshell, the Jungle was alright, and after that it was an uneventful walk to the Ruins. The Flowerlings were a bit odd, but not disturbingly so, contrary to Niccolo's belief. I mean, I could see clearly enough how their Psychokinesis work. How come he couldn't? Maybe it's because I got used to the Sproutling at the front path. He talks to me sometime about all plant life being one and the same. If you think about it, it makes sense. The two Trent can always tell me about how the other orchard is doing, and I never thought it was strange.

Since Niccolo doesn't believe in things he couldn't count, our trip was a waste of time. And when we got back he didn't pay me because by some twisted logic it was my fault that there wasn't anything to show for the jaunt! If he hadn't dodged my fist in time I would have strangled and buried him in the orchard as fertilizer. First it was Elazul some weeks ago, the other day Escad, and now Niccolo! My blacklist just keeps growing.

Dryad Day

The twins took good care of the orchard while I was away and we sold almost all of the produce in the market. I even had enough funds left over after buying the necessities to give to them as pocket lucre. Now I won't have to take outside work for awhile.

Aura Day

It occurred to me that I should write down what I do everyday when I'm at home for future reference. (Though it reality I just have nothing else to write about.)

Morning: Wake with the sun, stoke hearth in common room and kitchen, have a bite to eat with Lisa's morning brew, roll Bud out of bed before going to the orchard.

Mid-morning: Make the rounds in the orchard and harvest ripe produce if there are any, talk to Trent and give him seeds, talk to the other Trent and give him seeds, make plans for next week's crop.

Noon: Lunch at home or picnic in the orchard with the twins.

Afternoon: Follow Bud to corral to play with the animals, tea break with Lisa and whoever decided to stop by, head to workshops, or run errands in Domina (meaning a drink in the pub and a chat with Rachel, visit with Mark, Jennifer, Duelle, Teapo, Diddle, Capella, or the Reverend Nouvelle).

Evening: Back home early to see what's for dinner and help in kitchen, have dinner with the twins and talk about the day, spend time in study and give some kind of lesson to the twins, write in journal.

Night: Put twins into bed, bank the hearth, and talk a bit with Lil' Cactus before turning in.

Now to put the last sentence into action.


	4. Itchy Feet and the Moonlight City

A/N: Bout of writer's block has passed! Sorry for the delay.

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**Itchy Feet and the Moonlight City**

_Days in order: Salamander, Gnome, Jinn, Undine, Wisp, Shade, Dryad, Aura_

Undine Day

It's been an uneventful week so far. I don't know why but I've been itching to do _something_ all day today. Is it my wanderlust disease? No…not that. Something doesn't _feel_ right but I can't quite put my finger on just what. It's as if I'm trying to fly a kite on a day with no wind.

AH!!!

I wish I can pry my head open and scratch my brain. It's that sort of feeling.

Gnome Day

Bud finally cornered me today in the workshop. He caught my restless disease earlier in the week and kept dropping hints on wanting to get away somewhere. He also complained daily to everyone who stopped by about how it's terrible when adults don't follow up on promises. Anyway…the result of the confrontation: I'll be taking the twins and heading to the Fieg Snowfields tomorrow for a dragon egg search. I almost forgot about it. Almost.

It's not usual for me to actively seek out eggs to catch, even though I always remember where I've met which kind. To go find a monster to make a pet out of…it just doesn't seem right. Too much like the hunting party I've met in the Jungles awhile back. But well, I did promise Bud, even if it was on the spur of the moment. And maybe traveling will ease my 'itchy' feet somewhat, if not my itchy brain.

I'll jot down our itinerary.

Two days by chocobo to Lumina following the Highway northwest

Buy supplies and stock up on cold climate gear

Go through White Forest, heading north from Lumina

Pass by Kilma (Bud says he wants to see Tote, hope the old guy's still there)

A half day rounding the lake, camp in border between lake and snowfields

It'll take maybe ten and more days for the three of us to get there and back, not counting the time we need to spend in Lumina gathering supplies. We'll need to hurry before the cold front comes down from Norn and everything freezes over. The winds are getting chillier by the day. Winter will be here in just a few weeks.

I'm feeling seriously tired just from looking over to the packs of our gear in the corner of the room. The twins were practically shaking from excitement as I put them to bed, and somehow I feel years older when I saw how eager they were. To tell the truth I don't think this impromptu trip is such a good idea. The itch is back again! I've never felt this uneasy before a journey. I'll have to keep a tight grip on the children.

Jinn Day

Two weeks since my last entry. We got back yesterday morning but I really didn't have any energy left except to bathed, changed, saw that the twins did the same without injuring themselves, put them to bed, and dived into my own. I passed out for the rest of the day and a good bit of this morning. The three of us staggered down one by one in the afternoon, did our business and ate something, but even those little actions proved an ordeal. We all clambered back up and in silent agreement, winked out together on my bed. We were tired enough not to care about the lack of space. It's almost the midnight hours now and I've recovered enough to sharpen my pen to write without splattering ink everywhere. The twins are still asleep.

Where to start? At the beginning I suppose.

The journey from Domina to Lumina were relaxed as relaxed could be but we still made good time and got there earlier than I estimated. The twins were all eyes when we closed in on the Moonlight City. The velvet dark spread out from Lumina like a piece of blanket, gradually staining the sky from light pink to deep purple for miles around, but to say it was only dark there would be a mistake. The town's famous fairy lamps softly filtered the night into fuzzy shadows as we passed through the gate, the myriad of colors and bizarre shapes a heart-warming sight. The twins were running here and there on the cobbled street exclaiming over them, and even though I've been to Lumina many times before, the sight gave me the same joy.

We quickly found lodging at my usual inn and I turned the twins loose for the remainder of the day (or night, as it were) after warning them not to follow strange shadows and strangers. I found a dusting of frost on the ground as I also left the inn, deep into the maze that was Lumina's alleys. Winter visibly neared as we moved north.

There was supplier of travel goods I knew in the back streets of Lumina and I was headed there when a strain of unearthly song drifted into my ears. I'm curious by nature, so of course I followed it. And what did I see but a siren! To be honest Monique wasn't someone I expected to meet in a stone town lit only by lamplight, but there she was. She was rather surprised herself to find an audience for her 'absent-minded singing'. It's kind of nice to think that she could feel safe enough in Lumina to be able to absent-mindedly sing. No ships around and the sea at least a week away must really contribute.

We got along really well considering how we just met for the first time. Monique was showing me some of her handiwork when Gilbert clattered into the store. I've heard of centaurs before, but seeing one was…different. I can't describe my thoughts on Gilbert very accurately, but it's probably safe to say that I find him disturbing. He himself was easy to read though. Every emotion showed on his fingers as they strummed the lute.

Gilbert was very vocally agitated to have found Monique with 'another man'. I was quite flattered that she blushed, but my hopes were quickly dashed when she flatly refuted him. Oh well.

Other than my sentiments dashed against the wall, I was safe from the tongue-lashing that came after. So…how did I end up helping Gilbert sell Monique's lamps again? I seem to be roped into these fetch tasks a lot. At any rate I was able to sell my share with a little help from the master of the tavern. Who knew those Dudbears were so eloquent? "Duba Duda Dubba!" got me a lot hugs.

Monique gave me one of those Storm Spirit's lantern as a thank-you present for what I did. It was too valuable a piece of work to just give away but she won't take "no" for an answer. I came to be grateful I didn't press too hard on returning it to her. It's one of those super sturdy lanterns that won't break at a drop and always shine with steady light even in the midst of storms, hence the name. More on how it was useful later.

My handwriting is to starting blur into shapeless doodles. More sleep for me.


	5. Snowedin Hysterics and Snowbound Tragedy

**Snowed-in Hysterics and Snowbound Tragedy**

_Days in order: Salamander, Gnome, Jinn, Undine, Wisp, Shade, Dryad, Aura_

Undine Day

We spent all day catching up to chores. Lisa's "Farmwives Society" came around to help out too, with frequent hot tea breaks, even though it began to snow heavily in the afternoon and the weather went from freezing to absolutely frozen. I'll bring around some produce to them when the worst of winter is over.

Trent is asleep now, preparing himself for spring. The storeroom is pleasantly full for the moment, so no worries about supplies. I'll have nothing much to do for the coming weeks, except to occasionally shovel out the paths to the corral and workshops, find something to keep Bud's mind off dangerous magical experiments and try to keep Lisa away from wringing his neck in the meantime...and write I suppose.

I went back to read my past entries to get a feel of what to write next and this just hit me: The fact that I'm writing in this journal is a little bit like a good luck charm for a safe journey, isn't it? Because I'll have to come back to log the next entry.

I never thought about this before…or more like, it's strange I have just thought about this. Before, how to survive till the next week ruled my waking hours. Everything was sorted in two parts of 'expense' and 'profit'. Work in the orchard, work in the corral, work for the townspeople, market day, etc…. Now it's different. It's not that I have stopped thinking of them, but they kind of weigh _less_ now. Hard to remember how this came about, but I guess ever since the twins came into my life I've been reminded of how the little things sometimes mattered more than the big things, like keeping the books balanced.

Now I'm drifting too much from what I intend to write. To continue from yesterday:

We stayed two days in Lumina and headed out early on the third morning. That was when the going got tough. The White Forest wasn't as punishing a trek as Rosiotti's jungle, but it was all the same tiring to travel through. I had a feeling that someone didn't want us trespassing, and more than once I felt eyes at the back of my 'itchy' head. We took wrong turns frequently and my usually accurate sense of directions was little more than useless. The compass didn't work and the enormous trees blocked the sky. It was a world of eternal twilight and dark verdant shadows. I thanked the Mana Goddess and Monique hundreds of times over for the lantern.

Despite all that, the twins were wonderfully tolerating. Bud and Lisa didn't blame me at all for getting us lost and they stuck by my side at all times. I was afraid they'd be off bounding all over the place in the beginning. I think they felt the eyes too.

We got through the forest after a grueling two days of nonstop walking and camped at the forest's edge. The twins were silent as they looked on the expanse of the snowfields in front of us. I apologized to Bud for not being able to take him to see Tote but he shook his head wearily to brush away my words. I think we were passed the point of idle talk then. I bundled the three of us together into one bedroll for warmth and spent the whole night keeping the fire alive, staring at the solemn Norn Peaks in the far distance. I wished we had one of those eternally burning Fire Spirit's hearth they sell in Geo. The cold was intense. In the White Forest the walk and trees had kept us relatively safe from the brunt of it, but with the open Fieg just a few meters through scraggly trees in front, the wind was free to wreak its icy misery.

Now I wonder if it was all a dream as I sit here by the cheery fireside, but the memory of worrying whether my nose or my toes would survive the frost is still vivid. And if I write any more tonight my fingers will definitely fall off. Time for bed.

Wisp Day

I finally found my old notebook on crafting instruments! Now hopefully Bud will keep himself out of Lisa's hair for the whole winter. It was amusing at first, listening to them bickered about whose toothbrush should go in the cup, but after the fifth of that kind of nonsensical argument in a row even Lil' Cactus had to escape his pot for the outside. I managed to coax him back with the special fermented fertilizer I was saving for his midwinter feast, but by then the damage was done. One of his roots was damaged by frost. I had to draw the line somewhere.

So, tonight Bud is happily off to do his 'detention' in the workshops without any kind of heating except his triple-lined coat. He probably won't even feel his toes fall off, the way he's absorbed in the book. We can always glue it back on, I suppose. It's peacefully quiet for the moment. Lisa is making her steady way through my library next to the hearth, intently flipping through pages of "World History – II". At the rate she's going, soon I'll have to make time for a trip to Geo to pick up some more books. Not that I'm adverse to the idea. New books are a secret love of mine, I have to admit. Maybe I'll make that trip as soon as spring shows itself and Trent has been taken care of.

Enough of that, on to the next part of our trip:

Having successfully avoided the sleep of death, we pushed through the increasingly thick snow piles into the middle of Fieg. Buffeted by harsh winds, the ordeal rendered numb all of our extremities. We only stopped when the storm died suddenly, as if someone suddenly grabbed hold of the pendulum on a clock. The Field of Innocence was a globe of cold calm, the exact opposite of the howling flurry of snow ten steps before. There we had an unexpected encounter with the twin's former teacher from Geo, "Mephianse" I think was his name. The twins' expressions were priceless, and I wager the teacher's expression might have been the same, were I able to see pass his veil.

The twins recovered quickly, but ducked behind me and nudged for me to do the talking. (Which reminds me, I have got to ask them for real about what happened in Geo one of these days.) Mephianse was wary around me, a sentiment I shared at the time, but opened up enough to say that he was on a trip with his students to study the hardy wild life of Fieg. As bold-faced a lie as I ever had the pleasure of hearing, but I wasn't about to contradict him, a professor of the Academy as he was, he could probably wiped me permanently off the face of Fa'diel if he so choose.

He left soon after. Unfortunately, he was headed the same way I was planning to take the twins: toward the dragons. I supposed it was easy to read my distress because Lisa and Bud took off after their former teacher right away. We should have been able to catch up to Mephianse, but either he was a sprinter in disguise or the dragons found him faster than I thought possible. A horrible screech ripped through the muffled, snowbound Fieg and flashes of magic crackled like lightning ahead of us. We rounded the corner to find an awesome lightshow in the making. Mephianse was holding his own, melting the surrounding snow away with Salamander's fire. The sky dragon looked half-cooked but it wasn't about to let anything near its nest. It was regrettable, but there was only one thing left for us to do.

I waited for the opportune moment to strike, and it was over in a flash. The poor dragon burst into sparkles of mana and returned to the Tree. What a waste of beauty…

Mephianse finally buckled down and told me what exactly he was trying to do then. Fairie treasure? He recounted his brother's tale of woe for us and took us to see the "ice witch". Crystalle was anything but witch-like, however she was uncanny for certain. As we were having conversation, a monstrous roar shook the ground and startled us. Mephianse turned pleading eyes on to me. What should I have done? Refuse him? I was never any good at refusals…and there was no reason to start right then.

And I couldn't refuse the twins when they wanted to help their teacher too. So off we went to conquer the du'mere. Suffice to say, we won with much difficulty. Mephianse was grateful, we never did laid eyes on any kind of treasure, and that was that.

I don't want to dwell too much on how the monster's eyes seemed to sparkle with gratitude as I delivered the last blow…

We went looking for the sky dragon's nest afterwards. Without its mother, the soon-to-hatch nestling would have starved and die anyway, so we recovered the still warm egg from its rocky perch, wrapped it in the thickest blankets we have, and started the long, long journey home. The egg's now in the incubation chamber and Bud takes the time everyday to check up on it. Everyone does actually, though Lisa would never admit it to her brother.

So now I'm sending her up to bed and going to fetch Bud away from the workshops, lest he forgets to sleep in his zeal to create the instruments. Just another uneventful day…

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A/N: Thanks for following this fic! Hope to dedicate this to all those people out there still in winter's throes. I'm looking for some inspiration for the next arc, so feel free to drop off some requests.


	6. Dark Nights and a New Friend

A/N: Wow it's been forever since the last installment. Is anyone still reading?

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**Dark Nights and a New Friend**

_Days in order: Salamander, Gnome, Jinn, Undine, Wisp, Shade, Dryad, Aura_

Wisp Day

These long winter nights leave me a lot of time for quiet contemplation, an amenity I can really do without. The past surfaces unexpectedly and drags you back. Perhaps if I set them down as I see them, they will leave me be...

No. I don't want to put these 'fragments' onto paper. It's hard enough just to forget. If I write them, I'll have to finally remember. And I don't want to dwell on the past that will not come back.

I wish winter would leave me be. I need spring and sunshine and growing things around me again, to keep these circling bits of memories from swooping down.

Aura Day

I read to the twins today out of the "World History – IV", about the war between the fairies and mages of old. Their eyes were as round as ours were, back in the day when we first heard the tale, and they too reflected the flames that burnt down the Mana Tree, hundreds upon hundreds of years ago.

The stories took me back, to another time, another place, to another crowd of children in front of a fireplace, barely breathing, enraptured by tales of fantastic battles and glory. How long ago it all seems. But this is something I have chosen for myself. I don't have any regrets for leaving.

Not often anyway.

Salamander Day

A ray of sunshine struggled down from the iron grey clouds yesterday. The twins wasted no time in tumbling outdoors and sprinting down to Domina. A lot of people were in the park, soaking up as much of the rare warmth as possible. Diddle and Capella switched from their usual routine of juggling and instead had us laughing from their skits. Diddle even tried a bit of acrobatics! Bud and Lisa volunteered themselves and joined in on their silly dialogue, and things got a little out of hand. (Note to self: do not let Bud test out new instruments in public space.)

After we finally finished fixing the fountain and dried off at the inn it was almost dark. The tavern beckoned to the village folks and us like a lighthouse in the middle of a storm, and we all headed there for a night of forgetting the darkness of winter. I didn't let the twins sneaked any 'grownup' drinks though, and sent them away when some people had more than they could handled. Teapo was…amusing. Who knew a tea pot could get drunk? I helped Rachel cleaned the aftermath, even though I was near passing out myself, and delivered all of the very inebriated ones home before dragging myself back to my heavenly bed.

I woke up pass noon today, I'm shocked to admit. I must have had more than I thought. So I spent all day until now convalescing. I wanted to show the twins how bad it is to drink… but I never thought I'll become the primary example!

Dryad Day

The snowstorms came back with a vengeance. For the last few days the three of us were stuck indoors with nothing much to do, except to tried and stayed out of each other's hairs. Bud kept on insisting on visiting his friend in the fragile shell through the harsh winds. Whole trees were flying around for Goddess' sake! I tried to convince him otherwise but in the end the three of us tied a rope around our waists and waded there together. The snow had already piled high enough to cover the children's shoulders. If it weren't for my breaking a trail, they would have been stuck outside until spring.

In the corral all the beasts were tucked together in a warm pile in a corner of the barn, only disentangling their assortment of claws and legs into individual shapes when we stumbled in and pulled the door shut. They crowded around us with a rush, and I had difficulty trying to light the single lamp inside from all the jostling they were affectionately (but also violently) giving. The din was horrible. They calmed down a little when Bud finally grabbed hold of the worst of them and as good as flung it in into one of the pens (interestingly, that was Rudi). I did the count while Bud and Lisa helped each other forked piles of new hay down from the loft.

Here's the current list:

Rabbi – my first pet. A rabite that knows too much. He's also a lazy piece of fuzz. I can never bring myself around to discipline him.

Cocole – our resident chocobo. Bud calls her the 'mother hen' but not to her hearing. He still has the mark at the back of his hand where she pecked him.

Lizz – a lizardon that's still hanging around. I tried giving him to other people but somehow he always made it back to his usual stall. I've since given up.

Rudi – the confused howler. He's vicious on the outside but soft as down on the inside. If you managed to see pass the mouth full of teeth that is.

Tonpopo – tonpole that weighs a ton like his name. He'll bankrupt me one of these days with his feeding habits.

We were about to go back after I had given all of them a pet and treats when a quiet crack reached Bud's perceptive ear. In an instant the lot of us was beside the small incubator chamber and looking on in happy anticipation as fine lines began to appear on the dragon egg.

It wasn't the first time I was present for a hatching, but it still fascinated me to no end. Bud and Lisa were holding hands unconsciously, also partly to keep each other from helping the dragonling out from the surprisingly tough insides of the egg. The act of breaking out on your own strength is quite important for monsters (also for humans too I suppose). I'm rather proud of them to see that by themselves without having to be told. Suddenly a piece of eggshell went flying inches above my head and the wrinkled thing came tumbling out, peeping noisily as soon as it hit the straw floor.

It was definitely a sky dragon like its mother. Monsters have a disconcerting habit of coming out of the egg different from the ones that laid it. If I weren't a farmer I'll probably make a life's work out of studying them.

The tiny wings of this one showed bits of red and yellow in them, but one could never be sure how the scales will turned out until a little later. Bud was hovering all over it, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. It took Lisa to point out that it was probably peeping continuously because it's hungry and that we should take the dragonling inside the house to look after.

We wrapped it in everybody's scarves and stuck the bundle down my coat front, then hurried as much possible through the unforgiving weather back home. Inside Lisa bustled around arranging basket and blankets and watered milk for its food whilst Bud acted like a first time mother and stared adoringly at the minute claws, stubby tail, and the beginning of a vicious beak. The whole body just about barely spilled out from his hands, it was so small.

Interesting to note that Bud never did say anything during the time that Lisa bullied him into taking the dropper and hovered around, instructing him on how to feed until the dragonling is only "just full", and all the small nit-picky things she told him to do afterward, like pulling the blanket just so, arranging the basket at this angle, and on and on. Usually it'll be battle of shouts and "you can't tell me what to do!" Also, where did Lisa even gained the know-how for all that to coach Bud anyway?

They're growing so fast!

Salamander Day

As it turned out, "it" is a she! So in commemoration of this fact and the day we found this out, Bud named her Mandy.

I had a few misgivings about the name but she seemed to like it. I suppose hers will be the best judgment on this matter.

Salamander Day (again)

Mandy grows at least three times as fast as us grounded folk. From today on she'll have to stay in the corral with her friends. She's become too wide to fit through the doorway! It's hard for both Bud and her to part, but really something should be done before the threshold breaks down completely.

Bud doted on his beautiful friend like a proud father. Her scales had darkened over the weeks and became a kind of dark crimson, in certain lights black, in some places ochre or orange. It's hard to describe her adequately without listing a whole spectrum of color in the rainbow. Sufficient to say, she's rather good looking, and spoiled because of it.

I would rather Bud disciplined her himself, seeing how he's responsible for her, but it doesn't look like he will ever be able to. I'm in the same predicament with Rabbi after all, so I can't say much. First pets…they sure have a hold on you.

Gnome Day

In the end, Lisa was the one who snapped at Bud to either get Mandy to stay in forever or stay out. Certainly the poor thing cannot be tramping through the door and half breaking it every time she wants a meal or a rub. So the tragic sky dragon mournfully moved into the cold, lonely corral. Bud only slinked inside for mealtimes and hurriedly rush away again after, even through thick snow.

Looks like she's become the real power in the household, the way the rest of us flinched whenever she so much as glared our way. What happened to my being the adult in charge?

I can't wait for spring…

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A/N: And that's it for the winter arc. New chapter and new project on the way, stay tuned!


	7. Interlude: Time's Aticking

**Interlude: Time's A-ticking**

**An Excerpt from Bud the Great Sorcerer's "Masters of the Mysteries" Grimoire **

The book fell open at "An Introduction towards a Method for Faithful Familiars", page 1,598

*Various slashes, pencil marks, ink drops under the title, underlined word "DRAGON"*

The selection of so called 'familiars', or companions, or demons, precedes any complex and serious workings of magics. This is so because all other works prior to this stage of the grimoire need no other stabilizers except for the invoker, and should these works fail, there will not be greater repercussions other than unexplainable stains on the walls and floors. From this point on, we delve into the 'great magics', the workings of which will at times shake the very core of the earth and sky. The first step toward this grand design: a suitable familiar…

*Unintelligible scribbles in scratchy handwriting, "soon will catch up…", doodles of various types of dragons*

**A Few Recipes from Lisa's "Mealtime for Everyone" Cookbook **

A spatula is stuck between "Dragon Gruel-icious" and "Dragon Steak-shake", pages 123 – 124

*Neat notes in small, round handwriting on ingredients substitutes and personal tastes lined the sides*

_Dragon Gruel-icious_

(Yield 2 servings for dragons of any type, one to two months old)

Ingredients:

1 smallish chunk of any kind of meat

3 wooden spoons of rye, wheat, or oats

1 bucket of water

Salt, pepper, or sugar to taste

Directions:

Put half of water into pot, boil meat until very tender. Take off stove and chop meat into small pieces. Add grain to a little water, mix well to make paste. Bring the rest of water to a boil separately, add paste. Stir for 10 minutes. Lower heat, add chopped meat and stir for further 10 minutes. Add salt or sugar.

Make sure to cool to lukewarm before serving in dropper or straw.

_Dragon Steak-shake_

(Yield 1 serving for dragons of any type, three to five months old)

Ingredients:

1 largish chunk of any kind of meat

1 springanana or diceberry (if aggressiveness desired)

2 wooden spoons of red pepper powder

2 wooden spoons of green pepper powder

2 wooden spoons of yellow pepper powder

1 cup of water

Directions:

Pound on meat until tender and chop into bite-size pieces. Chop fruit into similar size. Add all ingredients to pedal-powered blender. Blend until smooth.

Serve as is in flame-proofed bucket.

WARNING: DO NOT USE TO FEED HUMANS

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A/N: So far, so good.


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